Our chance to reset.

Byline: Zeba Sathar

FATE has struck the world a cruel blow. A deadly virus that knows no borders has struck across class, clans and religion. Overnight, the rich and mighty are facing economic woes. They have become poor by their own very lavish and exorbitant standards, losing millions with stock market crashes and fall in demand of oil prices. What had the greatest value has become valueless: the boom in the travel industry, which epitomised the benefits of globalisation and connectedness, is likely to be wiped out.

Rather than treating this period as a mere nightmare, the world has an opportunity for a major reset of priorities - starting from human relationships to our socioeconomic system - if we want to ensure never to be caught in a similar pandemic dilemma again. Especially stark is the avaricious and callous relationship between the elites and the poorest excluded populations.

History post Covid-19 will distinguish between countries and nations on the basis of whether they considered this just a pause or reassessed the society they want to live in. The choice is between a society driven by money and more money for a few, or health and decent life for all, where every life counts. Ideal country leaders will gain the moral high ground and do the right thing, no matter how high its costs. In hindsight, the world will reward empathy, effort and transparency during the crisis. Exemplary is the leadership of New Zealand, Finland and Taiwan that brought their populations out of this crisis, by putting the value of lives above any economic gains and point-scoring.

Pakistan's leadership has a unique chance to reject the current abnormal to capture a new normal.

In Pakistan, our leadership has a unique chance to reject the current abnormal to capture a new normal. It simply means that the levels of sickness and food shortage as we have today are not acceptable. Some 55 million living in hunger is not acceptable; 20m children out of school is not acceptable and 40 per cent of children being stunted is cruel and hugely abnormal.

There is a chance to reset ourselves as a society where there is no tolerance for inequalities in at least three areas: access to healthcare, access to education and incomes of less than two dollars a day. To do this the rich will have to pay their dues in taxes and contribute to the welfare of the majority. Enough talk about how little we spend on health budgets. National health accounts show that the burden of paying...